07 September 2008

Well, Maybe there's hope for me yet!

Before we get to the main attraction of this particular and momentous post, permit me a little weather-related tantrum, please.

Okay. We've had enough rain this summer to supply the entire frakkin' province and a few states besides that. So what do we get this weekend?The end of Post-Tropical-Used-To-Be-Hurricane Hanna. Featuring, you guessed it, more rain. There's a lake forming in the yard. We have silage rather than grass. Water splashes up when you walk across the grass towards the garden. The weeds are....profound. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to PULL the weeds.

This is the Bay leading up to the rain event we're currently experiencing. We're only getting rain at this point, no wind to speak of, so everything is just getting well-washed. Yeah. Right.

So yesterday I was doing some pre-Post-Tropical-Used-To-Be-Hurricane Hanna cleanup in the garden, because I figure the rain and wind are going to do a serious number on all this insanely lush growth...and what do I find, casually growing in among all the pink and pink hollyhocks?

Yes. It is a yellow hollyhock. It's the yellow species one, not a hybrid, not a double, not the most yellow.

28 comments:

I would gladly take any unwanted rain! Just trying to keep the plants alive (never mind the grass), I ran up a water bill of $88 last month! Horrible, but I COULD NOT watch my flowers die for lack of water.Your hollyhocks are so pretty! They are one of my all time favorite flowers, but I have no luck at all with them; maybe it's too hot and dry here. I'm glad to see someone having luck growing them. The pink is so vibrant, and the pale yellow, while not as eye popping, is soooo soothing! They remind me of my grandmother's garden long ago.

Here in the Uk we can sympathise with you re the weather, we have had the wettest August we can remember and this weekend we have had the weather as a result of Hanna with people being flooded out of their houses etc.

I'm confused about the yellow hollyhock - is this unusual. I had a pale yellow one in my garden this summer, should I have been excited?

Congratulations on your yellow hollyhock, Jodi! I love surprises in the garden, and I was surprised when I found a yellow one a few weeks ago, too. Maybe they just like to bloom later than the pink or red ones.I understand how you feel about all the rain--too much of a good thing. At least Hanna spared you her fury, I hope.

Just when you think it will never happen - it reminds us to not give up hope! Who cares if it's not the most yellow, it's a beautiful hollyhock - I think all hollyhocks are beautiful considering how hard it seems to be to grow them.

Hi Jodi, many happy thoughts are being sent your way for the yellow hollyhock. I have been searching for one ever since your post about them, to no avail. It does seem they are more white than yellow, let's call it vanilla ice cream. Your rain complaints are our drought complaints. Why is it that mother nature plays these games of excesses?

Dude, you don't know rain. I'm from Ireland and every time it rains heavily (which it frequently does), the bloody country floods. I think i'm gonna have surgery to web my fingers and toes - Waterworld style!

Hollyhook, aren't they pretty and amazing and you got an yellow, congratulation. Almost all my Hollyhook died of drought in the beginning of this summers and the one's who survived are drowning it has been raining since....early August. It's been really mad wheather.

I think I have never seen a yellow one. I would love it even if it were only cream colored. I love the surprises like that. When I fist started growing them with seeds from a neighbor who always had pink ones, mine were pink, too. Then one year I looked out there and there were some pretty rose red ones. I couldn't believe my eyes. I loved them!

The appearance of a volunteer that is attractive is just good fortune.As to rain we had what they would call in Westerns a sustained 'gully--washer' from hurricane Fay at one point an inch an hour. I lost a few trees fortunately none on the house. But I have spent too much time constructing coffer dams to prevent soil wash off and not enough time appreciated what alll that water has done. Matt glug glug glug Cohen Zen of Watering

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